Ho has been referred to as 'The King of Gambling,' 'The King of Macau,' and Macau's 'underground governor.' In 2011, Forbes ranked Ho the 13th richest man in Hong Kong with an estimated net worth of $3.1 billion.

Macau's casinos have suffered a hit in recent months, but the vast presence Ho and his company SJM Holdings is nothing short of impressive.

So what's it like to build a billion dollar empire from scratch?

Stanley Ho was born into China's well-known and powerful Hotung family in 1921.

However, his father went bankrupt during his childhood and two of his brothers committed suicide.